After-hours veterinarian care "is a massive problem," particularly in regional areas, says Dr Bronwyn Orr, President of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA).
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It is another manifestation of the immense strain the veterinary profession is under amid chronic staff shortages.
Dr Cristy Secombe, head of veterinary and public affairs at AVA, said "veterinary practices across the country are struggling to find veterinarians and this is even harder in rural and remote areas".
The AVA's Workforce survey in 2021 said it was apparent that most on-call duties related to rural and semi-rural practices due to the lack of dedicated emergency centres in those areas.
READ ALSO: The other healthcare crisis on our doorstep
Dr Orr said the AVA would like to do a blackspot mapping program.
"There are probably multiple areas where you are one-and-a-half to two hours' drive from a vet," Dr Orr said. "We are trying to get government support."
In the lead up to the Federal government's 2022/23 budget, the AVA submitted a proposal for the government to invest $13.6 million over five years in a rural placement incentive scheme to help graduate vets stay in regional areas to address the shortages there..
In the meantime, Dr Orr suggested upskilling and registration of vet nurses to reduce the burden on vets.
"If we use vet nurses more effectively, vets can focus on more specialist and technical work," she said.
Dr Orr said it was also important, particularly in regional areas, that people support their vets.
Dr Kate Le Bars, who runs Montague Vets in Narooma, said "vets provide a front-line service but at the moment only every second soldier is working".
Dr Le Bars made the following suggestions for people to support vets:
- Plan ahead and make appointments for routine visits. "Don't ring on the day and expect to get an appointment."
- Don't wait until there is an emergency. If there are signs that something is wrong "give us a call and we can let you know if we should be seeing your pet now and not tomorrow night," Dr Le Bars said.
- Have an emergency plan. Do a basic examination of your pet and have a list of phone numbers at hand - your local vet, an alternative vet, a regional vet and a specialist centre. Dr Le Bars said, "that way, if there is an emergency you aren't casting around desperately trying to find help."
- Dr Le Bars has taken calls late at night because a stray dog wandered onto a someone's property or someone came across a seagull with a broken wing. "Those are not good reasons to disturb the duty vet," she said. Councils are responsible for stray pets and specialist agencies such as Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue, WIRES and NANA care for wildlife.
- Lastly, Dr Le Bars asked "people to spread the word and help us attract more vets and nurses to the area."
Despite the AVA's statistics, not every local vet believes the full story is being told.
Motria Tymkiw von Schreiber, practice manager at Bermagui Veterinary Clinic, said it came down to vet practices developing a healthy work/life balance for all their staff.
It is something she and vet Dr Carl von Schreiber have learnt through trial and error and consequently, "we don't find it stressful to be on call".
The practice makes a point of upskilling its staff and giving them challenging and stimulating work. It has also engaged with high school students.
"There is a lot going on that makes our jobs so enjoyable," Ms von Schreiber said.
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